Men of the Lagos State Police Command on Thursday attacked a photojournalist with The PUNCH, Olukayode Jaiyeola.
Jaiyeola, who was part of journalists covering an October 1 protest in the state, was brutalised at the Maryland area of Lagos.
The incident happened around 12 noon when a policeman, Innocent Adadu, hit Jaiyeola’s head with a baton. Jaiyeola’s colleague and PUNCH reporter, Deji Lambo, who was at the scene, said Adadu hit Jaiyeola with such force that the photojournalist collapsed immediately, with blood gushing out of his injured skull.
He said Adadu tried to flee into a police vehicle after attacking Jaiyeola but “I grabbed his shirt, insisting that he had injured a journalist.”
Lambo said, “Adadu’s colleagues also shielded their own and whisked him into a police vehicle. They also pushed Jaiye into the same vehicle.”
He said Jaiyeola was taken to the Police Clinic in Ikeja, the state capital, where his injured head was stitched.
Jaiyeola’s camera was also seized by police officers during the encounter.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that hundreds of protesters stormed the streets of Lagos on Thursday to express their displeasure over bad governance in Nigeria.
The protesters, mostly youths, lamented that 60 years after the country gained independence from Britain and over 20 years of uninterrupted democratic rule, Nigeria’s socio-economic development has been mired by bad leadership which has denied the masses from enjoying the gains of a sovereign state.
The demonstration, which started around 9.30 am, saw the protesters gathering around Ojota, from where they marched to the Maryland area of the state.
The protesters, who are members of the Coalition for Revolution codenamed #RevolutionNow, chanted songs of solidarity.